2018
by MayaTheFabulous
Summary: Anti-social Lucy Weasley starts at Hogwarts. Shadowed by her 'perfect' older sister Molly, Lucy just doesn't really care about much, and doesn't make an effort. But when some girls target her, she starts to feel worse. Rated T just in case, but please don't be put off by it!
1. Chapter 1 - On the Train

Lucy Weasley was grabbed by her older sister and dragged onto the Hogwarts Express. She sat down opposite Molly, and although it was only her first year, and Molly's second, her sister seemed a lot more excited.

"But don't you think it seems so interesting, Luce?" Molly would say every now and then, after seeing the girl's blank expression.

"My name's Lucy," She mumbled. "I suppose. But it's just a school."

"It's not just a school, Lucy! It's _Hogwarts_! The ceilings are bewitched! And there's a forest right next to it! A Forbidden one! Full of centaurs and hippogriffs, and-"

"Molly! Calm down." Lucy shrugged, her mousy brown hair cascading off her shoulders. Her hair was always messy, and there was nothing she could do about it. But Molly had the typical Weasley hair, a lovely reddish colour, and it was very easily tamed. She also had big, twinkling blue eyes, and a smile that lit up the whole room. Lucy had eyes a plain muddish colour, and every smile she tried to crack seemed fake. Molly was bubbly, and beautiful, but Lucy was pasty and pessimistic. Many times had her family tried to bond with her, but she never really saw the point in socialization. She'd rather sit in her room all day than sit downstairs trading chocolate frog card with her cousins.

She just wasn't... Social.

"I can't believe all the compartments are full!" A voice screeched, coming closer to the compartment where Molly and Lucy sat. The door flung open and a girl with dark hair in a bob strode in and sat next to Lucy, followed closely by a smaller girl with fair hair, who sat opposite her, next to Molly.

"Heidi Parkinson." The first girl announced, as though it were the most sacred name in the world. Molly smiled. "I'm Molly Weasley, and that's Lucy, my sister."

Lucy raised her eyebrows in a sort of silent greeting.

"Weasleys? I've heard about you lot from my mother. God, you must have a lot of cousins."

Molly beamed, not realising it was an insult. "Oh yes, quite a few."

Heidi turned to Lucy and narrowed her eyes. "Couldn't you have brushed your hair before you left the house?" She scoffed. Lucy slunk backwards and twiddled with her thumbs, not caring enough to explain that she had, in fact, been forced to brushed her hair by her mother just before she arrived at the station.

"Well, my Mum works at St Mungo's. We can afford hairbrushes." Heidi remarked, much to the amusement of her friend, who snorted loudly then went red.

"Shut up, Patrice!"

Lucy sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

_**(Just a couple of notes: You should read my other fanfic first, because I will probably make references to it later on, and you'll just be like 'whutt'. Also, the girl's surname is Parkinson, like Pansy? I thought I'd make it that way so it was obvious who she was, and this is completely logical, as her parents may have separated and her mother request she keep her mother's maiden name... If her parents even got married :/)**_


	2. Chapter 2 - The Great Hall

After Lucy and Roxanne had been welcomed into Gryffindor by their cousins and siblings, Roxanne attempted to start a conversation with her.

"This chicken is so good." She said, her mouth full of it. Lucy just glanced at her for a few seconds then ate solemnly. "What's wrong with her?" She whispered to Molly, who just shrugged.

After a couple minutes of Roxy and Molly talking about Quidditch, Lucy's silence was interrupted by something bouncing off her head then falling onto her plate. She picked the pieces of salad off it then looked closer. It was a piece of parchment. She unfolded it, wondering why she couldn't just be sent an owl.

'_Still haven't got that hairbrush?'_

Below that was a little drawing of a plump girl with extremely messy hair. Lucy looked around for the girl she had met on the train, and saw her smirking across the hall on the Slytherin table, her little friend sat next to her snorting with laughter. Ew.

Lucy ripped up the parchment and shuffled on her seat awkwardly, not wanting to hold Heidi's steel gaze. She picked at her food with her fork and shoved only a couple of pieces of lettuce into her mouth.

"What's up, Lucy?" Molly asked.

Lucy glared at her. "I'm not hungry." She snapped.

"You know, Lucy, you don't have to push everyone away. We'd be more bothered about you if you talked to us." Roxanne added, getting a small dig in the ribs from Molly. Lucy inspected Roxanne closer. Unlike most Weasleys, Roxanne had jet black hair, inherited from her mother's side. She was also very tall and slim, and most people thought she was about 13. She had beautiful bluey-green eyes, and was irresistible to nearly every boy. Most of the boys, Lucy noticed, had been staring at her since she sat down. But Roxy didn't care. She was strong and independent, but would rather have one best friend than all the followers that would gladly carry her to her lessons if she asked, which she seemed to already have.

Lucy sighed and stumbled from the table, watching as Heidi and Patrice squealed in laughter across the room. She pulled her robes closer together over her shoulders and mumbled a "See you" to her sister, who didn't even notice because she was nattering on with Roxanne. Lucy looked away as if nothing had happened and walked off.

She remembered what Roxanne had said. _'We'd be more bothered about you'_...


	3. Chapter 3 - Stall Doors

As Lucy made her way to the Gryffindor common room, she realised that she had no idea how to get in. She inspected a potted plant just next to The Fat Lady before deciding to just leave. There was no way that she'd go back to the Great Hall, so she just wandered a bit. She ended up near the girls' bathroom when she heard a familiar, screeching voice.

Heidi.

Lucy quickly ran into the bathrooms and hid in a stall. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.

"Oh Lucy!" Heidi squealed. "Did you need the loo, Lucy? You were running awfully fast. Aren't you properly potty trained yet?" She taunted, as Patrice tried not to laugh, obviously in the fear that she would end up snorting again. "You'll have to come out eventually, Lucy. You need to do your hair! I'm sure I have a hairbrush with me..." She slid a hairbrush under the stall door. "Although, I don't fancy catching nits anytime soon. Keep it." She smirked.

Lucy sat up on the toilet lid, pulling up her feet close to her chest in the hope that Heidi wouldn't find her. She was tempted to reach for the hairbrush but decided otherwise.

"Oi! What are you doing in there?" Heidi snapped. "Patrice can fit under those doors you know!"

Lucy stayed silent, breathing as quietly as possible.

"What are you even hiding from, Lucy-Loo? We just want to talk to you? Why can't we be friends?" Heidi told her, laughing at her own wit.

"My name's Lucy." She mumbled.

Heidi looked shocked. "What was that, Loo-loo?"

Lucy gulped. "My name's Lucy!" She said a bit louder.

"Ooh! Feisty!" Heidi remarked, pushing Patrice over the edge and causing her to burst into a laughing fit of giggles and snorts.

Lucy was glad to hear footsteps and the door slamming behind the girls, but still didn't leave her stall for a few minutes. She picked up the hairbrush and stood in front of a mirror. Her hair wasn't too bad... Was it?

Lucy tried running her fingers through her messy locks but they got stuck almost instantly. She attempted to pull the brush through her mousey mop, but that too hung painfully on every tiny knot, and she eventually just gave up, throwing the brush to the floor and debating where to go next. What if Heidi was still outside? She pushed her head against the wall. No sound.

She kicked the door open wide and hid behind the corner. Nothing. She peered around the doorframe and was happy to see absolutely no-one. She decided to proceed back to The Fat Lady, and just wait for someone with the password.


	4. Chapter 4 - Dreaming

At the end of term, Molly and Lucy learned that their parents were going abroad for their anniversary, and that the girls had to stay at Hogwarts for the break. Heidi was quick to discover this, and stepped in straight away.

"Don't your parents want you, Loo-loo?" She squealed.

Molly was confused, and stood up for her sister. "But you're here too." She questioned.

"Oh, I'm staying with Patrice. My parents begged me to come home for the holiday but I wanted to stay with Patrice. And you too, Loo-loo!" She joked. She waited until Molly left to talk to one of her friends and hissed "Yeah right. Who'd want to be friends with a fat, ugly lump like you?" And with that, she strutted away, Patrice scurrying after her like a little mouse.

Lucy watched them leave as her heart thudded. Heidi was right. Who would want to be friends with Lucy Weasley? She started to realise that no-one had bothered trying to talk to her. Or had they, and she'd just pushed everyone away like normal. Like Roxanne had been saying. She was nothing special at all. She was terrible at all of her subjects. She had very poor social skills. And she definitely wasn't attractive. She sniffed up and pushed her hair backwards, getting her fingers stuck again.

There had to be some way to detangle her hair?

She pushed up her chin and made her way to the Gryffindor common room. Why was she even a Gryffindor? _'I bet the hat just saw me as a Weasley and put me into Gryffindor without thinking. I'm a blemish on this family name. I shouldn't be here. I'm not good enough...'_ Words like these ran through her head all day, and haunted her dreams too.

She dreamed that she was surrounded by people, but then shrunk and slid past them without them realising. Then she saw a hug foot stomp next to her, trying to catch her. "Come... Here... You... Worthless... Piece of... Junk..." She looked up and saw Heidi, 50 feet tall, and a floating pig oinking next to her as she stomped harder and harder. "No-one cares about you!" The feet got closer and closer to hitting Lucy each time. "A fat, ugly lump like you! Just go AWAY!" the foot came down on top of Lucy and she awoke with a jolt. She sat up suddenly and hit her head off the bunk above her. Of course, it wasn't occupied. Even her own cousin Roxy didn't want to share with her. She was on a bottom bunk somewhere across the dark room.


	5. Chapter 5 - Hiding

The rest of the school break was hell for Lucy. She knew she shouldn't be letting Heidi get to her but she just couldn't help it. She felt like Heidi had gotten everyone onto her side, as she felt shoves and pinches from people around her when she was in crowds. She couldn't stand it. _'What have I done wrong?' _She thought, as she was pushed into a wall by the swarm of people leaving the Great Hall. She managed to get back into the crowd as though nothing had happened when she saw Heidi and Patrice from the corner of her eye. Suddenly, she was crashing to the floor after feeling something hit her ankle, paired with squealing.

"Oh Loo-Loo, what've you done now?" Heidi sneered as Patrice attempted to contain her giggles.

Lucy stood up and brushed herself off, blushing bright red as everyone left in the hall stared at the stupid, scruffy first year who had out of the blue decided to attack the ground.

Lucy's eyes jerked around furiously trying to avoid any eye contact. "Uhm... Dunno." She mumbled, knowing all too well that Heidi had obviously tripped her.

"Speak up!" Patrice demanded. She was obviously becoming more confident. "Cat got your tongue, you messy lump!"

"Did it get your hairbrush too, Loo-Loo?" Heidi added.

'_Well it obviously doesn't help that you just tripped me over,' _Lucy thought as she pushed her rats' tails out of her face.

"Eugh! Did your parents get littering fines when they dropped you off at the Platform?" She screeched, creating an uproar of laughter from those who were having much more fun watching arguing Year Sevens than they would wherever they should be.

Lucy dropped her head and pushed her sleeve over her face as she dashed off to the Gryffindor common room, where Heidi and Patrice couldn't get her. She mumbled the password without looking at the Fat Lady in the eye, as though she were jeering at her too. Lucy flopped onto the sofa and buried her head into a cushion, looking up only when she heard a noise outside. She quickly ran to her dorm, accidentally taking the cushion with her. It was then when she realised it was wet. She touched her face and put two and two together.

_She had cried_.

'_But I don't cry.' _She thought, debating whether she could be incorrectly collecting her evidence. She had never cared enough to show any sort of physical emotion – Never really blushed, never genuinely laughed, and definitely never cried. She realised exactly how worthless her life seemed, and how much of a drag she must be. How her sister constantly attempted to cheer her up but to no avail. And Molly hadn't given up on her yet.

'_Yet.'_

She let her thoughts spiral out of control as she lay on her bed, eyes wide open, flickering through memories of her lifeless soul, and just how disgustingly she had reacted to everything. It slowly became darker, but Lucy lay still and silent on her bed, wishing she had never gotten aboard the Hogwarts Express.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Scarlet Letter

'_Dear Mr and Mrs P Weasley,_

_We are sorry to inform you that your daughter, Lucy Weasley, has been behaving very disrespectfully over the past term. This started a few weeks ago, when she played truant from her lessons for the whole day. When the other girls returned to the dorm, it was reported that Miss Weasley was lying on her bed and wouldn't tell anyone why she had missed her lessons. We were unable to get her out of her bedroom for another day, and she did not leave until Dominique Weasley performed the Levicorpus jinx on her during a lunchtime. I am aware that this isn't the most polite way to get a child out of bed, but by the time we had heard, these events had already happened. _

_The appalling attitude continued when Lucy was absent from a Potions lesson and found, again by Dominique, painting a moustache on the Fat Lady. She was put on a detention, where she used the levitation charm on a desk then let it slam into the ground, almost hitting Professor Slughorn. She has also been found roaming around the castle long past curfew, with no excuse. These are only two of the disgusting acts Lucy has performed. _

_Unfortunately, I have decided that if Lucy is determined to behave as carelessly as she has recently for any longer, she will be expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Yours Sincerely_

_Filius Flitwick  
Headmaster'_

Percy and Audrey were shocked to receive a letter from the headmaster complaining about their youngest daughter. They had never really known much about Lucy, as she kept herself locked away from everyone, but they didn't see her as a troublemaker, unlike Ginny's son, James Sirius. Now he was always in trouble. But he had never been threatened with expulsion. Percy decided to send an infamous scarlet letter to his daughter.

It was quite a shock for some of the first years who had never seen Howlers before.

"Lucyy..." Roxanne hissed. Lucy glanced up from her untouched plate and gave the red envelope a confused look. Were they special ministry envelopes from Percy's work or something? Lucy heard lots of gasps around the table as the naive little first year unknowingly picked up social suicide. Not that she had anything to lose.

'_What?'_ She mouthed as she started to tear open the seam.

"LUCY WEASLEY!" Percy's voice boomed across the hall from the hovering letter, making Lucy jump back slightly.

"YOUR MOTHER AND I ARE ABSOLUTELY APPALLED! WE EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU, LUCY! PROFESSOR FLITWICK WROTE TO US ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOUR! DID YOU KNOW THAT? DID YOU KNOW YOU COULD GET _**EXPELLED**_? WHY ON _EARTH_ WOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO HIT A TEACHER WITH A TABLE? OR PAINT ON THE FAT LADY? WHY, LUCY? IS THERE A GOOD REASON FOR ALL OF THIS? THIS IS NOT HOW WE RAISED YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE YOUR SISTER? DO YOU SEE HER ASSULTING TEACHERS, OR VANDALISING SCHOOL PROPERTY? _**NO!**_ BECAUSE SHE IS GRATEFUL TO BE AT THIS SCHOOL, AND GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING SHE HAS. I AM DISGUSTED THAT YOU COULD BEHAVE LIKE THIS, LUCY. IF YOU DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS ONCE MORE, WE WILL NOT BE BUYING YOU A BROOM! BE WARNED, LUCY!"

The whole hall sat in silence, staring at the scruffy girl at the Gryffindor table who was trying to look as though she didn't care, although she was starting to turn red. The first to break the silence was a high pitched squeal from the Slytherin table, then a snort, which had obviously been tried to sustain. Lucy didn't have to turn around to work out who it was. Cheeks still the colour of the envelope; Lucy stood up and ran back to her dorm, lying on her bed again. She wasn't sure how she could spend so much time in there, especially with the Fat Lady shooting her dirty looks whenever she came past.

But Heidi couldn't find her in there. So it was okay.


	7. Chapter 7 - Free

Lucy had been missing for days. This time, she wasn't in her bed, or lurking around the corridors, but in fact no-where to be seen. Professor Flitwick had to write to Percy and Audrey to report her absence, but they weren't any help. Molly, however, was beside herself in panic, something which Roxanne picked up on and immediately questioned.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Molly." She would tell her, not looking up from whatever she was doing. "I don't understand why she's so important to you. She's just a cold-hearted rat, pushing everyone away and never showing us who she is."

"Roxy!" Molly would whine. "She's my little sister, it's different."

"Sister?" Roxanne scoffed. "Please. How was she ever a sister to you?"

"Don't say 'was'." Molly mumbled.

"Whatever. If you two are such best friends, tell me one thing about her that no-one knows." Roxanne told Molly.

"Well..." Molly started, realising she didn't really have an end. "She, uh..."

Roxanne raised her eyebrow.

"Just because she doesn't like talking doesn't mean she doesn't love us." Molly whispered, wondering if there was any truth in her words. Roxy was right. She had done nothing wrong to Lucy, but all her sibling had done in return was ignore her. Maybe it was worth her being gone for a couple of days, so Molly didn't have to constantly try and cheer her up.

Lucy was probably fine anyway. She was smart enough, wasn't she?

* * *

"I HATE EVERYTHING!" Lucy screamed from a high branch somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't a climber at all, but somehow in a blur of fury, upset and confusion, she had scrambled near the top of a huge tree, looking down without any fear to see everything a million times smaller. _'If only everything could be this small'_ she thought, gaping at the floor in shock of how high she had gotten.

But she didn't feel the fear that she was sure would come on.

She didn't feel anything.

Anything but _free_.

And that's how she wanted it to stay forever.

'_But it can't.' _

Lucy sighed as the realisation that she would have to go at some point hit her. She wanted to stay, but where would she get her food? Or anything to drink? Her wand had been stupidly left in the dorm, plus, she would still have the trace on her, and she could easily be found. So there was no choice. She slowly clambered down, still not feeling nervous, as though she belonged outdoors. Perhaps because she had never taken the time to realise how beautiful it was. She had been wasting her life, and she knew it.


	8. Chapter 8 - Last Warning

"So you're telling me," Professor Flitwick said, stopping to sip his tea. Someone had seen Lucy coming back into the castle and alerted him. "That you chose to miss all of those classes. You were under no influence, and knew fine well that someone would notice your absence."

'_Dunno about that last part.'_

"Miss Weasley, this really is your very last warning." Professor Flitwick said sternly as Lucy sat uncomfortably on a comfy chair in front of the headmaster's desk. "I'm being kind by not expelling you right here and now. I hope you appreciate that." He made direct eye contact with her, although she was trying desperately not to give in.

"Do you know how worried your sister was?"

Lucy gulped. She had forgotten about Molly. Anything worried Molly. Molly panicked when Roxanne was two minutes later than usual to getting to the common room, just because she was talking to the fat lady.

'_Does that mean I can't go to the forest anymore?'_ Lucy thought. _'I could just tell her where I am and make her promise not to tell anyone...'_

No.

Molly was the biggest goody-two shoes in the world. It was probably her who reported Lucy missing in the first place.

But she had to go again.

"Miss Weasley! Are you even listening?" Flitwick yelled as he tapped his wand in front of her eyes.

Lucy nodded and gave a quick "Yes, sir."

"Good. Lucy, I was hoping you could tell me exactly what you did outside of the castle, and why it was so entertaining."

Lucy shrugged. "Sat." She mumbled.

"Sat where?"

"Tree."

Professor Flitwick gave the girl a disapproving look. "Well I hope you don't intend to do this again, because starting next Monday, I will be keeping a very close eye on you."

Lucy looked up quickly. It was Saturday; Monday was too close to plan anything properly.

She could just wing it.

She nodded sorrowfully. "Yes, sir."

Flitwick looked at her for a few moments of deafening silence, before quietly saying "You may leave. I'm sure some people will want to see you're okay."

Lucy heaved a sigh of relief then scurried out into the corridor. She bumped straight into someone, who squealed and embraced her.

It wasn't Molly.

"Loo-Loo! Oh, are you okay!" Heidi screeched. She heard Patrice stifling laughter behind her back.

"Uhm..." Lucy attempted to struggle free.

"We heard you were missing, and I was so worried for you! Oh, god, your hair looks even worse with the humidity."

Lucy sighed, and tried to struggle even more."OW!"

"Sorry, did I catch your rats' tails with my French Manicure?" Heidi grabbed the back of Lucy's hair as she pushed her away down the corridor. "Later, Loo-Loo!"


	9. Chapter 9 - Planning

Lucy paced back and forth in the common room. She simply must escape, but what kind of person would she be to leave her sister like that again? Well, not really 'again'. She hadn't even seen Molly yet, and perhaps it should be kept that way.

No.

There was an ache inside her when she thought about running off without a goodbye. Running off in general, in fact. But it worsened when she thought about staying at Hogwarts her whole life. Constant teasing, never feeling accepted... It wasn't even _that_ serious. Lucy wouldn't dare tell anyone; it wasn't even that serious, really. What would be the point? What could be done? A Dementor following her around the school, attacking anyone who dared touch her?

_'Not a bad idea.'_ Lucy smirked at the thought.

She realised what she was thinking and stopped immediately. It was disgusting.

"Kidding!" She thought out loud. She shook her head, realising that 1) She was alone and 2) Even if someone was there, they wouldn't have known what she was thinking. She remembered that she needed a plan. She spread the facts out in her head, mumbling to herself as she thought.

"Got till Monday. Got lessons on Monday. I'm gone by then." She thought about writing all this down, but what if someone was to find it?

Her eyes flicked to the roaring fire, and she realised that she could easily get away with it.

"Okay." Lucy lay out the piece of parchment onto the small table and knelt down next to it.

"Got till Monday. Weekend over. Stalker comes. Must be gone." She wrote Monday in the corner of the parchment and circled it. She tapped the feather quill to her face, hoping for inspiration. She looked up at the clock and realised that everyone would be coming back in from enjoying the sunshine soon. Then it would be lunch not long after.

'Lunch... Food...'

Inspiration finally struck Lucy, and she scrawled all over the parchment, about how she would get her food, her drink, if she should take anything but the clothes she stood in... The plan seemed perfect. But one there was one thing that still needed solving - Within about five minutes too.

Molly.


	10. Chapter 10 - Wild Daydreamer

"LUCY!" Molly screamed as the fat lady revealed the Gryffindor common room. Molly ran forward and embraced Lucy tightly. "Oh-my-god-I-was-so-worried!" she mumbled all at once into Lucy's shoulder. "Never EVER do that again!"

Lucy's heart started to race. She watched as the fire engulfed the parchment she had thrown in as soon as she heard noises. She ran through the plan in her head, desperately trying to fit Molly into it.

"Where did you go? What did you do? You can explain privately if you like; we could go for a walk around the castle!" Molly chirped. Lucy nodded, deciding it was the best idea.

"Talk to me, Luce!" Molly said after a five minute space where Molly had asked a question.

"Lucy!" Lucy mumbled.

"Lucy. Sorry. But answer me!"

"What?" Lucy grunted, not realising anything had been said at all.

"Where did you go? How did you stay hidden for so long?" Molly asked.

"Oh." Lucy processed as much as possible in her mind before answering. She decided it would be best to come clean. "The forbidden forest. I was in a tree most the time. It's nicer outside than it is in here. Much nicer." Lucy realised this was probably the most she'd ever said at one time.

"And I'm going again. I have to." She blurted out. Molly looked shocked, and didn't speak for a while.

"You can't." She breathed. "Wh-What can you... Where will you get things? Like food?"

Lucy reviewed her plan silently in her head. "Remember the little red bag that Ron and Hermione gave me last Christmas? It has a charm on it. It's bigger on the inside. I only realised this morning when I was looking through my things for a missing shoe. It's a good thing Mum made me pack it. I'm gonna fill it with food at lunch and tomorrow too. Then I'll be gone." Lucy stopped and remembered that she wasn't supposed to tell Molly all of this. She inspected her sister's facial expressions carefully, and deduced that she was quite upset.

"Lucy, you could get hurt! What if you do? Who will find you? The forest is huge!" Molly fumed.

Lucy sighed, realising she was right. But she was adamant to go now. Even if only for a week or so. Plus, she would be fine. What could go wrong? When she was in the forest last time there was no dangers. It wasn't even running away really if she was sort of on the grounds. It was just... Leaving without telling anyone. Except the only person who cares.

"Molly," Lucy whispered. "You really can't tell anyone. I'm asking you this," Lucy stopped and looked at Molly in the eye. "...As your sister. I know I'm a rotten one at that, and I've done nothing but bring you down... But please. This _one_ favour. I will be grateful forever. I'll try and be happier when I come back. I'll try and talk in bigger sentences. Please Molly... I'll do anything."

There were tears in Molly's eyes as she reached forward and hugged her dumb little sister tightly. "Anything but let go of this wild daydream and just stay here?"

Lucy nodded solemnly. "Anything but that."


	11. Chapter 11 - Adventure

Lucy tried to push her chin up as she strolled into the great hall for lunch, her bag clutched to her side.

"Lucy..." Molly breathed.

Lucy winked and sat down next to her.

"You're serious about this?" Molly whispered, trying to move her lips as little as possible.

Lucy nodded before looking around, grabbing a handful of chicken and quickly shoving it in the bag.

"Help?"

Molly looked upset, but copied her sister's actions; looking and grabbing as she slipped the red bag in the middle of them.

The routine was mimicked the next day. Molly managed to bring herself to help again, seeing the excitement in her sister's eyes that was completely new – Of course, Molly herself didn't really understand why it was so important. But... She had never seen Lucy so happy, and that was all that stopped her from going straight to the headmaster. There was so much danger, and Molly had attempted to inform Lucy of this, but the naive first year was having none of it.

"How long will your little adventure last?" Molly asked after sitting in the common room while Lucy silently checked her plan over and over in her head.

"Dunno. Few days at least." Lucy mumbled, digging around in her red bag. Plenty of food, quite a lot of water in little containers and a little smelly thing that someone had given her as a gift (She wasn't completely sure what it was, but it seemed to be a Muggle object intended to make things smell nicer).

Molly jumped up and flung her arms around Lucy again. She seemed to have suddenly grown so much. Molly was sure she wasn't that tall at the start of the year.

"You be careful, okay? Promise me you'll be careful!" Molly said, tears in her eyes.

"I will be."

"Oh, Luce," Molly cried. "I hope you accomplish whatever you need to on this silly adventure. It's not too late to change your mind! What's the point anyway?"

Lucy sighed, not bothering to correct Molly on her name. "It'll be fun. I'll be fine. I promise."

Lucy stood up, took a deep breath and picked up her bag. Was this really happening? She started to feel nervous.

No.

There was nothing to worry about. Nothing went wrong last time, so why should it now.

"Wait, Lucy!" Molly yelled. She pointed to the dorm. "Your wand!"

Lucy shook her head. "I can't. Have you heard about the trace? If I do magic, and Flitwick gets desperate to find me, he'll be able to get the ministry on me." Lucy smirked. "And what's the fun in that?"

Molly looked away. "So I can't communicate with you at all?"

Lucy shook her head.

"What about my owl? Barley? He's quite small, so he won't get noticed very easily." Molly enquired.

Lucy wasn't sure. She had all these plans of doing everything by herself, but she realised that it would be stupid of her to push the one person who cared for her away.

'_More so than I have the past eleven years.'_

Lucy slowly nodded. "Okay. But keep letters vague, in case someone reads them You can't tell anyone where I am." Lucy looked serious. "_Please_."

"You have some strange logic, Lucy." Molly smiled. Lucy wasn't sure whether to take offense or not, so she nodded and muttered "Bye, Molly," as she left the common room with nothing but a little red bag and thoughts of adventure.


	12. Chapter 12 - The Forbidden Forest

Lucy ran to the forest as any other child would run to their parents at King's Cross. She quickly found a tree, and scrambled up it to sit on the top. She sat for a while, admiring the scenery, and deeply inhaling the fresh air. She leant back onto another branch after checking it was sturdy and made a little seat. She thought about all the lessons she was missing, all the people she was avoiding, all the drama she was keeping away from... She smiled, deciding that when she was old enough, she was going to travel the world. She wanted to see everything. Beautiful creatures, exotic plants, breathtaking landmarks, it all sounded so brilliant. She took a small, orange piece of ribbon from her bag and tied it around the tree, so that the end flowed in the wind. This was in case she forgot which tree she had been sat in, and in case Molly's owl had some trouble finding her. It had hardly gotten dark when Molly sent the first letter.

'_Dear Lucy,_

_How are you? Is it cold? Do you want to come back yet? I haven't told anyone, don't worry._

_Love, Molly'_

Lucy laughed. Molly was such a fusspot sometimes. She replied with a simple _'I'm fine, don't worry'_ and sent the owl back.

Lucy looked at her bag and started to dig around in it. She found a small blanket and wrapped it around herself as she attempted to count the emerald leaves of the tall trees.

She slowly found her eyelids drooping, and although she was determined to stay awake, she knew she couldn't last and had fallen asleep by the time the skies had turned black. Wind prickled at her face, pinching her cheeks until they turned pink. It was remarkable that she had been able to fall asleep in a position seemingly so uncomfortable.

She was chained into the natural world, and would never be fully loose. The outdoors was now her true home; where her heart rested.

But she hadn't thought of the dangers that come with the outdoors. Nor had she thought that the forest was 'Forbidden' for a reason...


	13. Chapter 13 - Healer Richards

Lucy's eyelids flittered. She found she couldn't be bothered to open them fully, but squinting, she could see that she was in a room. She could also feel a terrible pain in her right shoulder, which worsened the more awake she became. She also became aware that the room she was in was a room she had never been in before. Compelled to find the cause of the pain which was now intense, Lucy moved her hand slowly to her neck, then slid it down past her collar bone. As soon as she passed her collar bone, she touched the damaged skin and winced, her instincts quickly withdrawing her hand.

A dark-haired woman walked by, glancing at Lucy, who stared back at her.

"Oh," she said softly. "Are you awake now?"

Lucy realised she was being spoken to and nodded slowly.

"One minute then." The woman dashed off and came back with an older woman who strode over to Lucy and sat on a chair. "Would you like to know what's going on, Lucy?"

Lucy was shocked. She wanted to ask the woman how she knew her name, but she just slowly nodded again, not wanting to interrupt.

"This is St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I'm Healer Richards. I assume you've noticed by now that there is something wrong with your shoulder?"

Lucy nodded slowly again.

"You were found by the Forbidden Forest, just in the grounds of Hogwarts, which, I believe, is your current school?"

"Yes," she mumbled.

"You were found by a considerate young girl who had suspected something was wrong. She refused to tell us any details except for that you had been gone for a few days. I expect you felt the need to disregard the rules, and thought a trip to the Forbidden Forest would quench your thirst. My dear, that forest is forbidden for a reason. It's extremely dangerous."

Lucy decided she didn't like this woman all too much, but thought it would be best not to bring it up.

"Who was the girl?" Lucy asked, trying to prop herself up on the bed but instead pulling her shoulder too far and increasing her pain. "And what exactly is wrong with my shoulder?"

"The girl said she was your sister. Molly, if I recall. Ever so concerned. She looked as though she'd been crying before she found you."

Lucy gulped. How many letters had Molly sent? _'I must have missed them all while I was asleep... Hang on. Can someone sleep for that long?'_

"Have I really been asleep this whole time?"

The younger, dark-haired woman spoke up. "You asked about your shoulder?" She looked away solemnly, avoiding the innocent young girl's confused gaze.

"See, you were... Attacked... By a, uh..." The woman struggled to get her words out, making Lucy itch with fear.

The older woman sighed. "A werewolf, Lucy."

Stunned, Lucy reached up to her shoulder and felt the wound carefully. A _werewolf._ She had heard about those before, about Teddy Lupin's father, who had been a close family friend. Also from her uncle Bill, who had been attacked by one and liked rare meat because of it.

Lucy's mouth was dry, but she muttered "Am I going to..?"

The two women were silent. The older one cleared her throat. "I'm sorry. You –uh..."

Lucy knew something must be seriously wrong, as Healer Richards had seemed so confident beforehand.

"Dearie, if we could have only found you sooner..." She spoke quietly before taking a deep breath. "Lucy, I'm sorry, but you have been infected with Lycanthropy."

**_Note: Congrats for reading this far! I don't like this fanfiction that much but oh well. So yeah, if you read this chapter, I would love it if you reviewed and told me what you thought about this as an ending? I dunno if it's too abrupt or something or whatever. So, thanks :3 I'll be starting another fanfiction soon yay/damn_**


	14. Chapter 14 - Changed

_**Note: This chapter is in Lucy's POV**_

Lycanthropy... That's the term for werewolves, right? Like... A real werewolf. Like... I could go out and do what I want. Destroy things. Threaten people. Wow... It's like a weapon. Is it?

"Lucy," The older one speaks up again. "How much do you know about werewolves?"

I shrug. "Not much."

Healer Richards nods to the door and the younger woman scurries out, and then returns with a large book; 'The Big Book of Werewolves.'

Such an original name.

"Do you want to read it?" Healer Richards asks me.

No.

"Yeah, sure." I'm handed the book which is a lot heavier than it looks (And it looks pretty heavy). I lift the ornate cover and start pretending to read. I glance up every now and then to see if the Healer is gone yet. She's really creepy. It's like she's bringing people the illnesses.

Eventually, she turns around and walks off. She walks like a really snotty, stuck up schoolgirl. I remember that I should be at school right now, but instead, I'm lying here with pain flooding under my skin, crawling slowly over my shoulder.

It's really not that bad. It's a funny sensation, but 'pain' perhaps isn't the best word. It's an odd thing to think about. Yeah, it hurts, but I would never think of crying. There's no... _Distress_.

I lower my head upon the decision to actually read some of this book. It's got some long words in it, but I can decipher the majority of it.

After about 20 minutes of reading, I hear footsteps. I feel something warm touch my arm, and I turn my head. My Mum.

"Lucy," she whispered, as though noise would affect my shoulder. "How are you?"

"Fine," She looks at me in a disappointed sort of way, and I realise that I've taken up my habit of short replies again. Am I really expected to talk in huge, flamboyant sentences?

I realise that the dark-haired woman is still here, and she's just leaving my side now.

"Lucy!" I hear a familiar voice scream. I jerk my head to where the noise came from and end up with arms flung around my neck and warmth on my back, accompanied with the feel of school uniform.

"Molly."

"Oh, Luce! Uh, Lucy... Oh my god, are you okay? I shouldn't have let you go off, I'm so thick. Do they know what happened to your shoulder yet?"

Mum pulls her back and tries to smile sweetly, but looks as though she's on the verge of tears. She grabs Molly's hand and sits her on a chair. "We'll talk later." She says softly. Molly knows something's wrong.

"No, talk now!" She yells, going pink in the face. Molly is usually so calm, and would rather talk rationally than have a massive argument.

"No, Molly! Calm down, you'll worry your sister! We'll talk when your father is here-"

"Oh, I expect he's at work?" Molly snaps.

"Your father's job can be demanding-"

"His daughter is in hospital and he's not even going to drop in to check she's okay? Mum, he's never around! Why can't he realise that there's more important things than his job? We don't need loads of money!"

"That's not how your father sees life, and you'll have to live with that,"

"But why should I have to life with the fact that my Dad would rather be with stacks of paperwork than his daughters and wife? We've done nothing wrong to deserve this! Doesn't it infuriate you?"

Mum shakes her head slowly, but something tells me her whole heart isn't in it. "Lucy, have you been told what's wrong yet?"

I nod, showing little expression, but feeling a smirk creep across my face. "Yeah. I'm a werewolf." I say casually.

"Lucy!" Mum gasps, like it was a big secret no-one was supposed to know.

"You're _what_?" Molly shrieks, as she starts to breathe heavier.

"Hey, it's fine. It can't be that bad..." I realise she probably needs comforting more than I do, although upon reading some of this book, I've found that Werewolves can't control themselves and forget who they are, so I probably won't get any sort of thrill from destruction.

Thrill... Is that the best word for it? Don't see why not. I start to picture myself sneaking around the Forbidden Forest, hunting down anything that moves.

Maybe that's why I was drawn to the forest. It's obviously fate. I'm _supposed_ to be a Werewolf. It'll be brilliant.

Brilliant... Again, my vocabulary seems kind of mixed. I feel like I'm in two minds. Like Molly latched some of her discerning judgement into me to try and keep me sane. She thinks I'm strange. I can tell. She can tell that I've changed somehow, and an awful lot at that. But since I'm only thinking most of it, how can she tell what I'm thinking? The little voice in my head has turned into her voice, and it's acting as a conscience. Right now, it's telling me not to be excited about Lycanthropy, but how can I not? It's immense. It's not like something we can shrug off as if nothing happened.

I realise that Molly is now in tears, cuddled into Mum's shoulder. I feel a bit sorry for her, but she shouldn't be more bothered than me. It's me who's been infected!

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Mum. It's just... Scary..." She looks at me. "You really have changed. And an awful lot at that."

_**Well... That's it! It feels like I've been writing this forever :L Please review, and give me your thoughts on this chapter (Sorry it's pretty long). It's supposed to be a bit dark, but my dark side is a private part of my I don't often bring out... It seems like I've taken ages to update, but this chapter was hard, and I still don't think I'm completely pleased with it. I'll be starting a new fanfiction ASAP, and it will revolve around Rose/Albus etc. again, like in '2017' (This will be their third year). Again, thanks so much for reading, and I'd appreciate knowing what you think of it. :)**_


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